It’s a strange floating feeling after a show opens. This time I don’t feel so empty, I guess because I am booked every week at the gallery, either doing sessions with the staff or workshops with the public. So the connection with the show is a very real, ongoing one. RE the staff sessions I am doing, this is a first . I have never been asked to work directly with the staff, mainly the front of house staff, on nurturing their understanding of a project in a meaningful way (after and initial talk and Q+A, we do wrapping session using personal objects they bringin). It’s such and obvious thing to do and yet no organisation has been committed enough to invite me to extend the participatory element of the work to the very crucial part of the puzzle -those who operate in the space between the work and the public. I think it must be to do with the culture of the NPG, which seems to be open and genuinely inclusive in its intentions. So I wanted to mention this here as I believe it makes a huge difference to the public’s experience of this kind of work, to be able to talk to staff in the space who have experienced the processes of the work, even in a brief way. Though i do get that resources play a major role in the possibility of this happening.
The afterglow of the private view last week renewed itself as I looked through the excellent photos that were taken by the photographer at the NPG, Natalia Calvocoressi. I was very moved by how moved people were during the opening, by the work – like a reflecting effect brought on by the presence of mirrors! It felt vibrant and I managed to stay present and take it all in, enjoy the positive energy and emotional rollercoaster of it all. Here are some photos, I will put together a gallery for my site soon and I assume the NPG will be using the photos for PR purposes. It was thrilling to see the ‘In pictures’ feature on the BBC world news the day after and know that those images have carried far and wide…I do hope there is some kind of proper review of the show, there are a lot of interesting discussion around the work – given its context and nature of the groups- the beginnings of which I heard and engaged in at the opening. I am sure they will unravel here and elsewhere.Will write more on the opening too.
